Of Mice and Men, Part 4

Just before eleven o’clock the following morning, Mona, Fang, Fievel, Tanya, Tiger, Tony and Bridget all met up at the entrance to the pier, where Sweet William had given out free cheese to the mice the morning before.
  “Now, Fang, are you sure this where Sweet William’s going to be putting on his little performance this morning?” asked Mona.
  “Absolutely,” Fang said firmly. “The same place as yesterday; that’s what was agreed at the meeting last night.”
  “And we’re all clear on the plan, right?” Mona asked her allies.
  “Cat R Waul said he’d be hanging around to keep an eye on things,” said Fang. “My job is to find him and keep him out of the way.”
  “Right,” Mona nodded. “And don’t worry about keeping him sweet anymore, Fang – just get rid of him however you can!”
  “I understand what I have to do, Mona,” Fang assured her.
  “Good,” Mona approved. “In the meantime, Tiger and I will interrupt Sweet William’s little show at an appropriate juncture. We’ll tell all the mice that he’s full of crap, and the rest of you will back us up.”
  “Do you think everyone’ll believe us?” Tanya demurred. “Mama and Papa seem to think that Sweet William is the answer to their prayers, and I know that a lot of the other mice agree with them.”
  “Well, we’ll just have to persuade them that he’s not,” Mona pointed out. “I’m relying on you to grab the attention of the mice, Tiger – Sweet William wouldn’t take much notice if I wandered up to him on my own, but he has to respond if you start publicly opposing him!”
  “Sure, Mona,” Tiger grinned affably. “You can count on me.”
  “We’ll challenge Sweet William about his plan, and try and get him to admit that he’s a lying fraud,” Mona explained further. “Fievel, Tony, Bridget and Tanya, I want you to start spreading dissention in the crowd – each take a corner and work your way in.”
  “But they won’t believe us, so they won’t,” Bridget fretted. “Only yesterday I was saying that we should trust Sweet William; who’s going to listen to me now?”
  “Hey, babe, you can make anyone listen to you if you put your mind to it,” Tony said encouragingly. “I’ll never forget the first time I heard your trilling voice, holding forth about fighting back against the cats. It drew me to you then, and it’ll draw everyone else to you now.”
  “Oh, Tony, I have missed you, so I have,” Bridget smiled slyly, leaning up against her beau flirtatiously.
  “By the way, where did you two get to last night?” Tanya asked with a smirk. “I looked for you after I’d finished my second encore, but you were nowhere to be found.”
  “Yeah, I was expecting to find you in the restaurant after I’d talked to Mona and Fang, but you’d gone,” Fievel added. “What did you get up to?”
  “Oh, Fievel, a lady never tells, so she doesn’t,” Bridget smiled widely.
  “That’s enough of that!” Mona cut in. “We’ve got a very important job to do here.”
  “There’s not much we can do until Sweet William arrives,” Fang pointed out,
  “We can assume our attack positions, so that we’re ready for him,” Mona stated. “Fang, you start sniffing around for Cat R Waul – he’ll be hiding around here somewhere. You four mice, spread out in four different directions, and then each join on to one corner of the crowd once Sweet William has attracted an audience. Tiger, you and I will hide behind those crates over there, so we can leap out on Sweet William and take him by surprise. Yeah, this is a pretty sweet plan.”
  “It still seems a bit hit-and-miss to me, so it does,” Bridget dissented. “What if the others don’t believe us about Sweet William’s true intentions, and we can’t get him to admit that he’s trying to trick them?”
  “Oh, we’ll get them to believe us all right,” Mona said determinedly. “The truth will out, in the end.”

As Fang had promised, Sweet William arrived at the pier at eleven o’clock, a large book of railway tickets clasped in his hands. He called over some of the mice who were working at the dockside, and the word soon spread amongst the rodent community that the philanthropic cat who had given out free cheese the day before was back with another offer. A crowd had soon gathered, and it was larger even than that of the previous day. As Sweet William began to address the mice, Fievel, Tanya, Tony and Bridget latched themselves onto each of the four corners of the crowd, as per Mona’s instructions.
  “Well, my little friends, it sure is great to see so many of you here this morning,” Sweet William beamed at his audience. “And I’m right glad to see y’all, I can tell you. Yesterday, I found myself with a load of cheese I didn’t know what to do with, so I gave it to you, my friends. Today, I seem to have got hold of a whole bunch of railroad tickets. Now, I can’t use them all myself, but I thought perhaps you…”
  “Is this it, Mona?” Tiger hissed, behind the wooden crates. “Shall we jump out on him and tell everyone what a liar he is?”
  “Not just yet,” Mona considered. “Let him finish his sales patter first. He’ll offer the railway tickets to the mice, and then we’ll go out there and make him admit that the whole scheme is a trap!”
  “Oh yeah, good idea,” Tiger agreed affably.
  “Yes, my friends, out west the streets really are paved with cheese!” Sweet William was telling the enthralled mice. “That’s where your future lies – out in the wide open spaces!”
  “But we have lives here, in New York,” demurred a voice from the crowd, which Mona and all her allies recognised as that of Papa Mousekewitz. “How can we just up sticks and leave it all behind?”
  “How can you not?” Sweet William countered. “I’ve seen the way you mice live, and it’s not a pretty sight. Come out west with me, and your lives will never be the same again!”
  “That’s what I’m afraid of!” Papa shouted back.
  “What’s your name, little friend?” Sweet William asked, his tone still friendly and unruffled.
  “Bernard Mousekewitz,” Papa replied.
  “You must have brought your family here to America for a reason, Bernard,” Sweet William returned. “Whatever you came here in search of, you’ll find it out west, I promise you! It’d be a shame just to let these tickets go to waste, and I’m not asking anything from y’all in exchange for them. Come on, who’s with me?”
  “Right, that’s enough,” Mona decided. “Sweet William’s had his say; now it’s time for me to have mine!”
Sweet William jumped in surprise as Tiger leapt out from behind the crates. His expression darkened noticeably, but he soon amended it appropriately.
  “My fellow mice!” Mona called out loudly from the top of Tiger’s head. “Do not listen to this cat – he is a fraud!”
  “And just who might you be, little friend?” Sweet William asked Mona guardedly.
  “I’m Mona,” she replied simply. “And I’m well aware of your true intentions, Sweet William! You’re trying to lead all these mice into a trap – you don’t really want to be friends with them at all.”
  “Hey, I think that mouse is right!” Fievel’s voice piped up from amongst the crowd.
  “So do I!” came Tanya’s shrill tones. “Sweet William is a fraud and a liar!”
  “Damn straight he is!” Mona stated forcefully. “And if you mice know what’s good for you, you’ll forget all about the sugar-coated offers of this felonious feline, and all go home right now!”
  “You guys should do as she says,” Tiger added. “Mona knows what she’s talking about.”
  “I’ve a mind to believe that she does,” Papa Mousekewitz called out forcefully.
  “Come, come, Bernard, don’t be so hasty to make up your mind,” Sweet William laughed awkwardly. “How can you be sure that this little dissenter can be trusted? So far as I can see, she’s the only liar around here!”
With that, Sweet William reached up and whipped Mona off Tiger’s head with lightning speed. Mona felt momentarily sick as she was hoisted into the air, where she was left dangling from Sweet William’s thumb and forefinger like a hypnotist’s watch.
  “Put me down, you big bully!” Mona yelled, wriggling around frantically. “Now you guys can see what kind of a cat he really is, can’t you? He’s just like all the others!”
The crowd of mice was caught in indecision. Sweet William continued to dangle Mona in front of him, clearly longing to bite her head off, yet not daring to for fear of revealing his true nature. As Mona continued to struggle for all she was worth, the fake mouse ears that were still clinging to her head became dislodged, and dropped to the ground. In that short yet critical moment, the illusion was broken. Sweet William studied Mona with suspicion and surprise, and then reached up and removed her fake nose as well.
  “Look at this!” the cat declared triumphantly, holding the nose up for all to see. “This little liar isn’t even a real mouse – she’s some kind of tiny little…”
  “Vampire!” Mona cried out shrilly. “I’m Mona the Vampire, and I’ll teach you to mess with me, Sweet William!”
Mona reached into her pocket and withdrew her vampire fangs, but Sweet William shook her roughly, causing her to drop them. Mona felt a sickening jolt inside her as she watched the plastic fangs plummet down towards the wooden boards of the pier – what could she do to contest Sweet William now?
  “I’ll tell y’all what sort of a creature this little vermin is!” Sweet William bellowed. “It’s a human – a tiny little human! You guys aren’t going to trust a human over me, are you, and a pipsqueak of a human at that? She is lying to you; I am not. Trust Sweet William, and join him on his great journey!”
Amongst the mice, popular opinion was now firmly in Sweet William’s favour. Fievel, Tanya, Tony and Bridget had all ceased their attempts to sway the crowd, so mesmerised were they by the shocking revelation of Mona’s rodentine disguise. Sweet William gauged the reaction of the crowd, and smiled slyly to himself. In his black, deceitful heart, he knew that victory was his.

Fang sniffed around a few alleyways and warehouses, but he could find no sign of Cat R Waul. And then, all of a sudden, a clipped voice caught his attention from behind.
  “Well, well, Fang, how curious to see you here this morning,” Cat R Waul remarked offhandedly. “Looking for someone, are you?”
  “Yeah,” Fang replied levelly, turning around to face Cat R Waul. “I’m looking for you.”
  “Is that so?” Cat R Waul yawned, examining his front claws casually. “Any particular reason?”
  “Well, I remembered you saying last night that you were going to keep an eye on Sweet William’s little assembly this morning, so my friends and I agreed that I should be here too, to keep an eye on you!”
  “Keep an eye on me? Your friends? And just who might they be?”
  “You don’t need to worry about the specifics,” Fang scowled. “But they sure as hell aren’t you and your gang of flea-bitten moggies!”
  “So,” Cat R Waul remarked loftily, “your true colours are revealed at last, Fang. I must admit, I’ve had my suspicions for some time, but now I know for sure! You are my enemy, and you must be dealt with!”
  “Sweet William’s the one who needs to be dealt with,” Fang snarled back. “And once my friend Mona the Vampire’s finished with him, your plan will fail, quite spectacularly.”
  “Dear me, we can’t have that,” Cat R Waul tutted. “It looks like I shall have to intervene myself in order to ensure the success of my little scheme.”
  “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that, Cat R Waul.”
  “I see. Well, I should have known that this was on the cards. Very well, Fang – we’ll do this your way!”
With that, Cat R Waul leapt at Fang with lightning speed. However, Fang was ready for him, and swiped out viciously with his claws. As Cat R Waul yowled in pain and rallied himself for another attack, the catfight was well and truly joined.

Mona was most perturbed by the situation in which she found herself. She needed her vampire powers now, perhaps more desperately than she had needed them for quite some time, but there seemed to be no way for her to access them. She would only have the opportunity to work a very small amount of magic, for the sun was streaming down brightly, but Mona had a plan to save the situation, if only she could call forth her vampire side. But that was now impossible without the help of her plastic fangs. Or was it? Mona considered this matter for a few seconds, and then she began to concentrate very hard indeed.
  “Yeah, just look at this lying creature!” Sweet William yelled to the crowd. “She isn’t really one of you, as she was pretending to be!”
Mona felt her four canine teeth begin to grow in length. Blood spilled from her ripping gums and trickled down her throat, as her vampire fangs took shape in her mouth. Mona’s hair turned from brown to black, and her eyes glowed red. Mona suddenly shot back up to her full height, forcing Sweet William to drop her in alarm. As soon as she was back on her feet, Mona forcibly rescinded her vampire side, causing her teeth and hair to return to their original state, for the heat of the sun was already beginning to burn her vampire skin. In her human form, Mona towered over Sweet William and the mice, a triumphant smile on her face. She reached down and grabbed the cowboy cat by the scruff of his neck, hoisting him into the air and dangling him in front of her.
  “There!” Mona declared triumphantly. “Let’s see how you like it!”
  “You see!” Sweet William yowled to the crowd. “This human is cruel and untruthful, just like all the rest of them. See how she threatens me now – don’t listen to what she says!”
Screams had begun to emanate from the ranks of the mice, most of whom were now backing away from Mona in fear.
  “No, please!” Mona exclaimed in alarm. “I may not be a real mouse, but I really am trying to help you guys! Sweet William is evil, you have to believe me!”
But the mice did not believe her. They were all now backing away in alarm; some had even turned tail and begun to run away. Mona stared at her audience in dismay. After seeing her true self, all of them, it seemed, had lost faith in her. All of them, that is, except one.
  “Mona!” cried out Fievel’s shrill voice from just below her. “Hey, Mona, kneel down here!”
Mona knelt down on one knee, still keeping a firm hand on Sweet William. She smiled down at Fievel’s tiny form below her.
  “After everything you’ve seen, you still trust me?” she asked quietly.
  “Of course I do!” Fievel trilled. “Now pick me up and hold me out to the crowd, quickly!”
Mona did as Fievel instructed. She held out her free hand, and he scurried onto her upturned palm. Mona then rose back up onto her feet, and held Fievel out towards the frightened mice.
  “Hey, where do you guys think you’re going?” Fievel yelled out. “So Mona’s not really a mouse – so what? She’s telling the truth about Sweet William; she’s trying to protect us all from getting eaten! I’ve spent a lot of time with Mona over the past couple of days, and I know she’s telling the truth! She may be a human, but I still trust what she says, and she’s still my friend!”
Mona was moved by Fievel’s words, and so, it seemed, was Sweet William.
  “Why, you little troublemaker!” Sweet William yowled. “I’ll teach you to mess with Sweet William!”
The enraged cat raked his claws across Mona’s arm and tried to reach Fievel, but Mona maintained her grip on the disgruntled feline. The scratches he had inflicted were no worse than she had suffered at home during Fang’s more playful moments, and now it seemed that the crowd of mice had seen Sweet William for what he really was.
  “I believe you, Mona!” cried Tanya’s voice from the crowd.
  “Yeah, so do I!” added Tony.
  “I believe you too, so I do!” shouted Bridget.
  “And so do I!” exclaimed Papa Mousekewitz. “Sweet William has been lying to us – Mona the Vampire is our saviour!”
Gradually, all the mice were swayed. They began to cheer for Mona and jeer at Sweet William, who was now looking very despondent indeed. Mona turned the cat loose with a flourish; he ran off into an alleyway at once.
  “There, that’s the last we’ll see of him!” Mona declared. “And now the mice are safe at last… well, for now.”
  “We sure are,” Fievel beamed up at Mona from her left palm. “And it’s all thanks to you, Mona.”
  “No, Fievel, it’s thanks to you,” Mona smiled down at her diminutive ally. “You showed the courage and conviction to trust me, even when my disguise was unveiled, and everyone else doubted me. Your bravery allowed the others to see the truth; I owe this victory to you, Fievel. I guess you didn’t really trust me only because you thought I was a mouse, as I suspected at first; you trusted me because you believed in me, for which I’ll always be grateful to you.”
  “Hey, I know the truth when I hear it,” Fievel grinned toothily. “And as you said, Mona, the truth always comes out, in the end.”

Fang had Cat R Waul pinned to the ground at the mouth of the alleyway, from where they could both see what had transpired at the pier entrance.
  “Hah! It looks like Mona’s back to her old self, and she’s sent Sweet William packing!” Fang remarked. “Your plan has failed, Cat R Waul.”
  “No!” Cat R Waul hissed angrily. “This is just a minor setback. I will take the mice out to Green River, and I will get them to build my empire!”
  “Maybe so,” Fang conceded. “But not today. I’m going to let you up, and you’re going to go back to your saloon. If you try to go anywhere near those mice, I’m afraid I’m going to have to stop you.”
  “You needn’t worry about that,” Cat R Waul said dryly. “I’ll bide my time. But I will come up with a better plan to achieve my goal, and I will be back!”
Fang released his hold on Cat R Waul, who immediately shot off back down the alleyway. Fang nodded in satisfaction, and then went to join Mona and the mice.
  “Mona!” the cat called out. “What happened to your disguise?”
  “I discovered I didn’t need it,” Mona grinned back at him. “When it came to the crunch, the truth was all I needed in order for the mice to trust me, thanks mainly to Fievel’s courage, of course.”
As Fang reached Mona, and she knelt down to stroke him, a change began to take place in their surroundings. The outlines of the New York City docks began to shimmer and fade, as did those of Fievel and the other mice. Within a few seconds, Mona and Fang found themselves back in the Corridor of Souls, with the Oracle’s blue visage shimmering in front of them.
  “Well done, my friends,” the all-knowing creature smiled serenely. “You have completed your mission. Now, the time has come for you to return to the Great Hall of Knightmare.”
  “So Tony and Bridget are going to stay together from now on?” Mona asked for clarity.
  “Yes indeed,” the Oracle assured her. “Thanks to you, Mona, their future together is now secured, as is the balance of the universe once again. By the time they move out west, Tony and Bridget will have started a family, just as they have both desired in their hearts for a long time.”
  “Cat R Waul does manage to get the mice out west, then?” Fang asked.
  “Indeed he does, but his plans to consume them do not come to fruition,” the Oracle explained. “Instead, the mice are granted a happier, brighter future in Green River, chiefly thanks to the courage and ingenuity of one special little mouse.”
  “That has to be Fievel,” said Mona. “If it weren’t for him, I don’t think I would’ve won those mice over. Of course, that was the harder part of the mission, as it turned out - getting Tony and Bridget back together was relatively easy, in the end.”
  “I did not foresee this when I entrusted you with this mission,” the Oracle admitted. “I thought Fang’s little adventure with the cats would play second fiddle to yours with the mice, Mona, but it seems that things were the other way around in the end. Ah well, we never can tell how these matters are going to turn out, can we? The important thing is that the universal balance has been restored. I shall know whom to call upon if another mission like this arises in the future. With your vampire powers fully restored to you, Mona, there’ll be no stopping you next time!”
  “Yeah, that was cool how I managed to change at will again,” Mona beamed. “But how did I do it?”
  “You have the power to do as much or as little with your vampire side as you choose, Mona,” the Oracle intoned. “The vampire is a part of who you are, and all its powers come from within you!”
  “They do?” Mona queried in surprise. “I thought they were granted to me by some divine force so that I could save Prince Ember’s unhatched egg and close the Portal of Darkness.”
  “The power comes from within you, Mona,” the Oracle repeated. “And it’s completely up to you how you use it.”
Mona would have liked to converse further with the Oracle on this matter, but the outlines of the Corridor of Souls had already begun to fade. All at once, there was a flash of blue light, and Mona and Fang found themselves back in the Great Hall of Knightmare.

As Mona and Fang melted into view, Treguard and Merlin looked up at them from the magic pool. Merlin smiled broadly at Mona, while Treguard cleared the pool with a sweep of his arms.
  “Ah, well done, Mona, another first-rate adventure!” Merlin beamed. “And well done to you as well, Fang - I’ve never seen a cat make as fine a mole as you!”
  “Yes, it was certainly an impressive display,” Treguard added. “Well done for sorting out the cosmic balance of the universe yet again.”
  “Have you guys been watching the whole thing in the magic pool?” asked Mona in surprise.
  “Of course we have,” Merlin smiled affably. “Much more entertaining than any of the other rubbish that’s on nowadays, wasn’t it, Treguard?”
  “It certainly was,” Treguard agreed. “I especially liked the part where you humiliated Sweet William in front of all the mice, Mona.”
  “Yes, that certainly was a turn-up, you being able to transform at will again,” Merlin remarked. “Can you still do it?”
Mona concentrated hard, and the change washed over her. She flashed her fangs at her audience in a pleased smile. Treguard nodded solemnly to himself, while Merlin stroked his long beard thoughtfully.
  “Hmm, this is most curious,” the wizard remarked. “As I understood things, your vampire powers were to be taken away from you after you’d used them to close the Portal of Darkness. Clearly the divine forces of fate have intervened once again and restored them to you. Perhaps they have in mind yet another purpose for Mona the Vampire.”
  “The Oracle said that all my powers come from inside me,” Mona pointed out. “I’m not sure it was the forces of fate that restored my vampire powers to me – I think I managed to transform by reaching deep inside myself and drawing out the vampire that’s always been there.”
  “Eh? What?” Merlin twittered. “I find that a highly unlikely scenario, Mona. Clearly you have been reassigned your powers for a reason, and we’ll doubtless find out what that reason is in the fullness of time.”
  “How did you feel just before you managed to transform again, Mona?” asked Treguard.
  “I felt really frustrated that I couldn’t do anything to stop Sweet William, and worried for Fievel and the other mice,” Mona replied.
  “So it was fear that gripped you, then?” Treguard intoned.
  “Yeah, I guess it was,” Mona admitted.
  “And the first time you managed to change at will, all those years ago, was the icy grip of fear squeezing your heart then as well?” Treguard pressed.
  “Yes, it certainly was,” Mona shuddered at the memory. “I feared for Lily’s life – she was in the hands of a vampire, and I could do nothing to save her, except become Mona the Vampire purely by willing myself to change!”
  “And then, just as now, you did what you had to do,” Treguard nodded in understanding.
  “Well, guys, it’s been great catching up with you, but I really should be getting home now,” Mona ventured. “I’m longing for a proper bath and a good sleep after all that time as a mouse!”
  “Then be on your way, Mona,” Merlin smiled widely.
Mona entered the Dream Caverns once again, glad to be on the home strait at last. As ever, Fang trotted loyally along beside her.

Lily pulled open her front door to see Mona standing on the doorstep, wearing a rather guilty expression.
  “Hey, Lily,” she smiled awkwardly. “Can I come in?”
  “Why, to talk about your feelings?” Lily suggested. “You weren’t up for that when I wanted to do it, were you?”
  “Come on, Lily, don’t be like that,” Mona encouraged her. “I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching since we last talked, and there’s some stuff I just have to discuss with you.”
  “All right,” Lily shrugged. “Come into the lounge.”
Mona went into the living room and sat down on the couch. Lily entered the room a few seconds later, having adopted a somewhat guilty expression.
  “Sorry if I seemed a bit off just now,” Lily said awkwardly. “It’s just that I felt pretty upset after you brushed me off before, but I’ve realised that you clearly had some kind of mission to complete, and I was being a bit selfish thinking that my needs were more important.”
  “That’s no excuse,” Mona sighed. “I should have taken the time to discuss your feelings with you, Lily, but I pussed out. It’s just that talking about Charley makes me feel so guilty for what I did… or rather what I didn’t do.”
  “I know what you mean, Mona,” Lily confessed. “You don’t think I know what it feels like to have someone’s death on your conscience, but I do!”
  “But surely you don’t really blame yourself for what Von Kreepsula did to Angela?”
  “No, it’s not about that. The thing is, Mona… Well, the thing is that I killed Nicole!”
  “You did what?” Mona boggled. “Don’t be silly, Lily – she was killed by a Dalek!”
  “Yes, she was,” Lily agreed. “But that Dalek was aiming its laser at me, and I pulled Nicole on top of me to save myself! It was a terrible thing to do, Mona, and I wish I hadn’t done it!”
  “Well, I don’t,” Mona frowned. “If it came to the choice between you and Nicole, there’s no competition as far as I’m concerned.”
  “That’s how I feel about you and Charley and the Portal of Darkness, as I’ve said many times before.”
  “So you have. You know, Lily, Nicole was becoming a complete nuisance, and I don’t think I’d ever have got her off my back while she was still alive. I’m not saying that I’m pleased about what happened to her, but she brought it on herself, I’m afraid. I’m sorry that we had to lose her as a friend and as an ally, but there was no coming back from what she had become.”
  “But I killed her!” Lily exclaimed. “I killed her as surely as if I’d fired that laser gun myself, and that’s why Charley’s appeal got to me so much!”
  “You did what you had to do to survive,” Mona told her. “We’ve all done that at times. If that Dalek had killed you, Lily, well… I might’ve been tempted just to let Nicole drive a stake through my heart and have done with it!”
  “Oh, Mona, you shouldn’t say things like that,” Lily tutted. “You don’t really need me; you’ve just done another mission without me, haven’t you?”
  “Even if I don’t really need you, and I’m not saying that it’s true, I definitely want you.”
  “Mona, I was feeling pretty bad after Charley’s appeal, but I should’ve known that you’d be feeling even worse. I’m sorry to have stirred up those feelings inside you.”
  “The trouble is, Lily,” Mona sighed deeply, “that thinking about Charley does evoke a lot of feelings inside me, and some of them are very deep-down feelings that I can’t even admit to myself… that I don’t want to admit to myself… Charley was my life-long best pal. We grew up together, we shared almost everything… why was I prepared just to cast him aside like that? Did everything that we’d been through mean so little to me?”
  “I think Charley brought that upon himself,” Lily opined. “He set up a rival ghost-busting organisation and filled it with kids he hardly even knew! If that’s not alienating us, I don’t know what is.”
  “I guess so,” Mona sighed. “But surely our life-long friendship should’ve been strong enough to overcome something like that.”
  “Just think about your other life-long friendship for a moment,” Lily pointed out. “You and Angela were best friends, until she won the lottery and turned into a total bitch. People can change very easily, Mona, but not usually for the better. Based on your experiences, perhaps life-long friendships aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.”
  “Perhaps not,” Mona was forced to agree. “Oh dear, I don’t think I’ve got the energy to talk about my feelings anymore, but thanks for listening, Lily.”
  “Hey, no problem,” Lily smiled back. “We’re best friends forever, Mona!”
Lily leaned over and gave Mona a crushing hug, the intensity of which took her by surprise. As she returned Lily’s embrace, a mischievous thought occurred to Mona.
  “Eek!” Lily screamed, as she withdrew from the hug and got an unexpected eyeful of the fanged face of Mona the Vampire. “How did you do that?”
  “I got my powers back,” Mona grinned. “Isn’t it great?”
  “Yes, it’s fantastic,” Lily beamed. “How did it happen?”
  “Well, the Oracle said that the power had been inside me all the time, but Merlin reckons that some divine force must have given them back to me, seeing as I was supposed to lose them after plugging up the Portal of Darkness. But I was in a tight spot, Lily; I knew I had to become Mona the Vampire, so I just did. It was like the first time I changed at will, when you were being menaced by that vampire.”
  “I remember it well. I thought my number was up in that maintenance shed in New York, but you came through for me, just like you always do.”
  “Hey, I was in New York when I managed to do it this time!” Mona realised. “Maybe that’s significant.”
  “Hmm, perhaps,” Lily smiled.
  “Well, I guess I may never find out for sure,” Mona shrugged. “But I personally think that, as Treguard suggested to me, I got my powers back because I really needed them, like when that vampire was attacking you, Lily. Wherever the power comes from, it’s always there when I really need it.”
  “Yes,” Lily said absently, her face contorted into a very thoughtful expression. “Mona, what exactly did Merlin say about you being supposed to lose your powers after the whole Portal of Darkness thing?”
  “As I understood things, your vampire powers were to be taken away from you after you’d used them to close the Portal of Darkness,” Mona quoted.
  “Well, that means you were never supposed to plug it up yourself!” Lily declared triumphantly. “I mean, how could your powers be taken away from you if you weren’t still around not to have them?”
  “Hmm, yeah, I see what you mean,” Mona mused.
  “Things did work out as they were supposed to, just as I thought!” Lily beamed. “Charley was supposed to be the one to block up that portal, to atone for what he’d done, and you were supposed to carry on being Mona the Vampire, just as you are doing!”
  “Okay, Lily,” Mona smiled slightly. “I’ll believe that if you believe Nicole was supposed to get in the way of you and the Dalek.”
  “You’ve got a deal!” Lily agreed readily.